Includes bibliographical references and index

The interpretation of medieval intellectual history -- The scholastic traditions -- The spiritual traditions -- The ecclesiopolitical traditions -- On the eve of the Reformation -- The mental world of Martin Luther -- Society and politics in the German Reformation -- Humanism and the Reformation -- The Swiss Reformation -- The sectarian spectrum : radical movements within Protestantism -- Calvin and Calvinism -- Marriage and the ministry in the Protestant churches -- Catholic reform and the Counter Reformation -- Protestant resistance to tyranny : the career of John Knox -- The legacy of the Reformation

"Ozment does a wonderful job of showing that the story of the Reformation does NOT begin with the posting of the 95 theses in 1517. Rather, the events of the 1500s were the culmination of a centuries-old search for truth. Ozment's account of the Reformation as something unfolding out of the Middle Ages is much more instructive than the standard view, which treats the Reformation as a starting point for this or that development. This book grounds Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and Ignatius firmly in the tradition of medieval scholastic, mystic, and ecclesio-political thought, as well as Renaissance humanism. Additional chapters are devoted to clerical marriage and resistance to tyranny, two legacies of Protestantism that Ozment finds particularly compelling. To top it off, the author has obviously done his homework; every significant interpretation by previous scholars receives due note here"--Amazon.com

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